Systems and methods for managing application programming interface information

ABSTRACT

Computerized systems and methods for managing API information. An exemplary method includes receiving an input from a user device associated with a first computer system, the input not including identity of a second computer system. The method includes determining a target API based on the input, the target API being the second computer system&#39;s API. The method also includes determining whether a user of the user device has access to the target API. The method includes retrieving documentation of the target API from an API database if it is determined that the user has access to the target API. The method includes providing the user device with the retrieved documentation.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to computerized systems andmethods for managing application programming interface (API)information. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relateto inventive and unconventional systems relate to managing APIinformation of the computer systems stored in a database, and enabling auser of a computer system to get documentation of API of anothercomputer system.

BACKGROUND

An API is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building softwareapplications. A good API makes it easier to develop a program byproviding all the building blocks. A programmer then puts the blockstogether. Many operating environments provide APIs so that programmerscan write applications consistent with the operating environment. TheAPIs typically have associated documentation that provides instructionsfor using the API.

The documentation can exist in a variety of forms. In the past, the mostcommon form for the documentation was bounded, hard-copy manuals. Thesemanuals were typically large and bulky manuals that contained hundredsof pages of detailed information. To locate and retrieve informationfrom these manuals, programmers were typically forced to search throughmassive amounts of irrelevant information. In a large organization thathas many different business units, operating environments, computersystems and APIs, these manuals would cost programmers a lot of time andeffort in searching and determining the correct API and its associateddocumentation they are looking for.

In this age of information technology, an abundance of these hard-copymanuals have been converted to electronic versions and placed indatabases. Further, some newer documentation is specially designed forthe Internet and computer systems. This includes documentation tools andinterfaces that can generate or assist to generate electronic versionsof documentations that are user-friendly and can be easily converted toprogramming codes applicable to APIs.

However, electronic versions of documentations of APIs may not besufficient to overcome certain technical problems. In a largeorganization that has many different business units, operatingenvironments, computer systems and APIs, the amount and complexity ofAPIs and their documentations have made it difficult for theorganization's database to manage. Users in different business units andoperating environments may attempt interactions with APIs of otherbusiness units and operating environments. It is inefficient to requirea developer to know the identity of every business unit, operatingenvironment, computer system, and API that they might interact with.Developers working on APIs associated with different computer systems oreven subsystems of one computer system may need to use different codinglanguages as optimized choices for each different functionality. Thelarge organization may have its computer systems and APIs updating veryquickly, which makes it more difficult and cumbersome for developers ofall APIs to keep up with the change and resolve conflicts timely. Asimple electronic version of documentation or a system simply storingdocumentations do not relive the users much burden or provide timelycoordination.

Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems forelectronic API management.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a system formanaging API information. The system may comprise at least oneprocessor, a database storing data and documentations associated withAPIs of computer systems, and at least one memory containinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe processor to perform operations. The operations may comprisereceiving input from a user device associated with a first computersystem, the input not including identity of a second computer system.The operations may also comprise excluding APIs associated with computersystems that are inaccessible to a user of the user device based on theuser's permission level, and determining a target API based on the inputand determining whether a user of the user device has access to thetarget API, the target API being the second computer system's API. If itis determined that the user has access to the target API, the system mayretrieve documentation of the target API from the API database andprovide the user device with the retrieved documentation of the targetAPI.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method formanaging API data and documentations. The method may comprise receivingan input from a user device associated with a first computer system, theinput not including identity of a second computer system. The methodalso may comprise excluding APIs associated with computer systems thatare inaccessible to a user of the user device based on the user'spermission level, determining a target API based on the input, thetarget API being the second computer system's API, and determining thata user of the user device has access to the target API. The methodfurther comprises, if it is determined that the user has access to thetarget API, retrieving documentation of the target API from the APIdatabase, and providing the user device with the retrieved documentationof the target API.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a system formanaging API information. The system may comprise at least oneprocessor, a database storing data associated with APIs, each API beingassociated with at least one computer system, each of the computersystems being connectable with other ones of the computing systemsthrough the respective APIs, and at least one memory containinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe processor to perform operations. The operations may comprisereceiving an input from a user device associated with a first computersystem, the input not including identity of a second computer system,excluding APIs associated with computer systems that are inaccessible toa user of the user device based on the user's permission level, anddetermining a target API based on the input, the target API being thesecond computer system's API. The operations comprise determiningwhether a user of the user device has access to the target API, and ifit is determined that the user has access to the target API, retrievingdocumentation of the target API from the API database and providing theuser device with the retrieved documentation of the target API. Theoperations further comprise receiving a request to register an API ofone of the computer systems in the API database, storing data associatedwith the API in the API database, generating documentation associatedwith the API based on the request and storing the documentation in thedatabase, and receiving a request to update data or documentation of oneof the APIs stored in the API database. The operations further compriseupdating the data or documentation of the API based on the request, andin response to the request, sending a notification to user devicesassociated with the computer systems.

Other systems, methods, and computer-readable media are also discussedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplaryembodiment of a system comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B depicts a sample Search Result Page (SRP) that includes one ormore search results satisfying a search request along with interactiveuser interface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1C depicts a sample Single Display Page (SDP) that includes aproduct and information about the product along with interactive userinterface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1D depicts a sample Cart page that includes items in a virtualshopping cart along with interactive user interface elements, consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1E depicts a sample Order page that includes items from the virtualshopping cart along with information regarding purchase and shipping,along with interactive user interface elements, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary fulfillment centerconfigured to utilize disclosed computerized systems, consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic of an exemplary system for managing APIinformation, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a process for registering an API in a database,consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a process for updating API information in a database,consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary process of providing documentation to a userdevice, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary user interface of a system for managing APIinformation, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several illustrative embodiments are described herein,modifications, adaptations and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to thecomponents and steps illustrated in the drawings, and the illustrativemethods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering,removing, or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description is not limited to the disclosedembodiments and examples. Instead, the proper scope of the invention isdefined by the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems andmethods configured for managing API information.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a schematic block diagram 100 illustrating anexemplary embodiment of a system comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations is shown. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, system 100 may include avariety of systems, each of which may be connected to one another viaone or more networks. The systems may also be connected to one anothervia a direct connection, for example, using a cable. The depictedsystems include a shipment authority technology (SAT) system 101, anexternal front end system 103, an internal front end system 105, atransportation system 107, mobile devices 107A, 107B, and 107C, sellerportal 109, shipment and order tracking (SOT) system 111, fulfillmentoptimization (FO) system 113, fulfillment messaging gateway (FMG) 115,supply chain management (SCM) system 117, workforce management system119, mobile devices 119A, 119B, and 119C (depicted as being inside offulfillment center (FC) 200), 3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A,121B, and 121C, fulfillment center authorization system (FC Auth) 123,and labor management system (LMS) 125.

SAT system 101, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that monitors order status and delivery status. For example, SATsystem 101 may determine whether an order is past its Promised DeliveryDate (PDD) and may take appropriate action, including initiating a neworder, reshipping the items in the non-delivered order, canceling thenon-delivered order, initiating contact with the ordering customer, orthe like. SAT system 101 may also monitor other data, including output(such as a number of packages shipped during a particular time period)and input (such as the number of empty cardboard boxes received for usein shipping). SAT system 101 may also act as a gateway between differentdevices in system 100, enabling communication (e.g., usingstore-and-forward or other techniques) between devices such as externalfront end system 103 and FO system 113.

External front end system 103, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables external users to interact with one ormore systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments where system 100enables the presentation of systems to enable users to place an orderfor an item, external front end system 103 may be implemented as a webserver that receives search requests, presents item pages, and solicitspayment information. For example, external front end system 103 may beimplemented as a computer or computers running software such as theApache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS),NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, external front end system 103may run custom web server software designed to receive and processrequests from external devices (e.g., mobile device 102A or computer102B), acquire information from databases and other data stores based onthose requests, and provide responses to the received requests based onacquired information.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, or a paymentsystem. In one aspect, external front end system 103 may comprise one ormore of these systems, while in another aspect, external front endsystem 103 may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server,database-to-database, or other network connections) connected to one ormore of these systems.

An illustrative set of steps, illustrated by FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E,will help to describe some operations of external front end system 103.External front end system 103 may receive information from systems ordevices in system 100 for presentation and/or display. For example,external front end system 103 may host or provide one or more web pages,including a Search Result Page (SRP) (e.g., FIG. 1B), a Single DetailPage (SDP) (e.g., FIG. 1C), a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D), or an Orderpage (e.g., FIG. 1E). A user device (e.g., using mobile device 102A orcomputer 102B) may navigate to external front end system 103 and requesta search by entering information into a search box. External front endsystem 103 may request information from one or more systems in system100. For example, external front end system 103 may request informationfrom FO System 113 that satisfies the search request. External front endsystem 103 may also request and receive (from FO System 113) a PromisedDelivery Date or “PDD” for each product included in the search results.The PDD, in some embodiments, may represent an estimate of when apackage containing the product will arrive at the user's desiredlocation or a date by which the product is promised to be delivered atthe user's desired location if ordered within a particular period oftime, for example, by the end of the day (11:59 PM). (PDD is discussedfurther below with respect to FO System 113.)

External front end system 103 may prepare an SRP (e.g., FIG. 1B) basedon the information. The SRP may include information that satisfies thesearch request. For example, this may include pictures of products thatsatisfy the search request. The SRP may also include respective pricesfor each product, or information relating to enhanced delivery optionsfor each product, PDD, weight, size, offers, discounts, or the like.External front end system 103 may send the SRP to the requesting userdevice (e.g., via a network).

A user device may then select a product from the SRP, e.g., by clickingor tapping a user interface, or using another input device, to select aproduct represented on the SRP. The user device may formulate a requestfor information on the selected product and send it to external frontend system 103. In response, external front end system 103 may requestinformation related to the selected product. For example, theinformation may include additional information beyond that presented fora product on the respective SRP. This could include, for example, shelflife, country of origin, weight, size, number of items in package,handling instructions, or other information about the product. Theinformation could also include recommendations for similar products(based on, for example, big data and/or machine learning analysis ofcustomers who bought this product and at least one other product),answers to frequently asked questions, reviews from customers,manufacturer information, pictures, or the like.

External front end system 103 may prepare an SDP (Single Detail Page)(e.g., FIG. 1C) based on the received product information. The SDP mayalso include other interactive elements such as a “Buy Now” button, a“Add to Cart” button, a quantity field, a picture of the item, or thelike. The SDP may further include a list of sellers that offer theproduct. The list may be ordered based on the price each seller offerssuch that the seller that offers to sell the product at the lowest pricemay be listed at the top. The list may also be ordered based on theseller ranking such that the highest ranked seller may be listed at thetop. The seller ranking may be formulated based on multiple factors,including, for example, the seller's past track record of meeting apromised PDD. External front end system 103 may deliver the SDP to therequesting user device (e.g., via a network).

The requesting user device may receive the SDP which lists the productinformation. Upon receiving the SDP, the user device may then interactwith the SDP. For example, a user of the requesting user device mayclick or otherwise interact with a “Place in Cart” button on the SDP.This adds the product to a shopping cart associated with the user. Theuser device may transmit this request to add the product to the shoppingcart to external front end system 103.

External front end system 103 may generate a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D).The Cart page, in some embodiments, lists the products that the user hasadded to a virtual “shopping cart.” A user device may request the Cartpage by clicking on or otherwise interacting with an icon on the SRP,SDP, or other pages. The Cart page may, in some embodiments, list allproducts that the user has added to the shopping cart, as well asinformation about the products in the cart such as a quantity of eachproduct, a price for each product per item, a price for each productbased on an associated quantity, information regarding PDD, a deliverymethod, a shipping cost, user interface elements for modifying theproducts in the shopping cart (e.g., deletion or modification of aquantity), options for ordering other product or setting up periodicdelivery of products, options for setting up interest payments, userinterface elements for proceeding to purchase, or the like. A user at auser device may click on or otherwise interact with a user interfaceelement (e.g., a button that reads “Buy Now”) to initiate the purchaseof the product in the shopping cart. Upon doing so, the user device maytransmit this request to initiate the purchase to external front endsystem 103.

External front end system 103 may generate an Order page (e.g., FIG. 1E)in response to receiving the request to initiate a purchase. The Orderpage, in some embodiments, re-lists the items from the shopping cart andrequests input of payment and shipping information. For example, theOrder page may include a section requesting information about thepurchaser of the items in the shopping cart (e.g., name, address, e-mailaddress, phone number), information about the recipient (e.g., name,address, phone number, delivery information), shipping information(e.g., speed/method of delivery and/or pickup), payment information(e.g., credit card, bank transfer, check, stored credit), user interfaceelements to request a cash receipt (e.g., for tax purposes), or thelike. External front end system 103 may send the Order page to the userdevice.

The user device may enter information on the Order page and click orotherwise interact with a user interface element that sends theinformation to external front end system 103. From there, external frontend system 103 may send the information to different systems in system100 to enable the creation and processing of a new order with theproducts in the shopping cart.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may be furtherconfigured to enable sellers to transmit and receive informationrelating to orders.

Internal front end system 105, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables internal users (e.g., employees of anorganization that owns, operates, or leases system 100) to interact withone or more systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments wherenetwork 101 enables the presentation of systems to enable users to placean order for an item, internal front end system 105 may be implementedas a web server that enables internal users to view diagnostic andstatistical information about orders, modify item information, or reviewstatistics relating to orders. For example, internal front end system105 may be implemented as a computer or computers running software suchas the Apache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services(IIS), NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, internal front endsystem 105 may run custom web server software designed to receive andprocess requests from systems or devices depicted in system 100 (as wellas other devices not depicted), acquire information from databases andother data stores based on those requests, and provide responses to thereceived requests based on acquired information.

In some embodiments, internal front end system 105 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, a paymentsystem, an analytics system, an order monitoring system, or the like. Inone aspect, internal front end system 105 may comprise one or more ofthese systems, while in another aspect, internal front end system 105may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server, database-to-database,or other network connections) connected to one or more of these systems.

Transportation system 107, in some embodiments, may be implemented as acomputer system that enables communication between systems or devices insystem 100 and mobile devices 107A-107C. Transportation system 107, insome embodiments, may receive information from one or more mobiledevices 107A-107C (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or thelike). For example, in some embodiments, mobile devices 107A-107C maycomprise devices operated by delivery workers. The delivery workers, whomay be permanent, temporary, or shift employees, may utilize mobiledevices 107A-107C to effect delivery of packages containing the productsordered by users. For example, to deliver a package, the delivery workermay receive a notification on a mobile device indicating which packageto deliver and where to deliver it. Upon arriving at the deliverylocation, the delivery worker may locate the package (e.g., in the backof a truck or in a crate of packages), scan or otherwise capture dataassociated with an identifier on the package (e.g., a barcode, an image,a text string, an RFID tag, or the like) using the mobile device, anddeliver the package (e.g., by leaving it at a front door, leaving itwith a security guard, handing it to the recipient, or the like). Insome embodiments, the delivery worker may capture photo(s) of thepackage and/or may obtain a signature using the mobile device. Themobile device may send information to transportation system 107including information about the delivery, including, for example, time,date, GPS location, photo(s), an identifier associated with the deliveryworker, an identifier associated with the mobile device, or the like.Transportation system 107 may store this information in a database (notpictured) for access by other systems in system 100. Transportationsystem 107 may, in some embodiments, use this information to prepare andsend tracking data to other systems indicating the location of aparticular package.

In some embodiments, certain users may use one kind of mobile device(e.g., permanent workers may use a specialized PDA with custom hardwaresuch as a barcode scanner, stylus, and other devices) while other usersmay use other kinds of mobile devices (e.g., temporary or shift workersmay utilize off-the-shelf mobile phones and/or smartphones).

In some embodiments, transportation system 107 may associate a user witheach device. For example, transportation system 107 may store anassociation between a user (represented by, e.g., a user identifier, anemployee identifier, or a phone number) and a mobile device (representedby, e.g., an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), anInternational Mobile Subscription Identifier (IMSI), a phone number, aUniversal Unique Identifier (UUID), or a Globally Unique Identifier(GUID)). Transportation system 107 may use this association inconjunction with data received on deliveries to analyze data stored inthe database in order to determine, among other things, a location ofthe worker, an efficiency of the worker, or a speed of the worker.

Seller portal 109, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that enables sellers or other external entities to electronicallycommunicate with one or more systems in system 100. For example, aseller may utilize a computer system (not pictured) to upload or provideproduct information, order information, contact information, or thelike, for products that the seller wishes to sell through system 100using seller portal 109.

Shipment and order tracking system 111, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives, stores, and forwardsinformation regarding the location of packages containing productsordered by customers (e.g., by a user using devices 102A-102B). In someembodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may request or storeinformation from web servers (not pictured) operated by shippingcompanies that deliver packages containing products ordered bycustomers.

In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may requestand store information from systems depicted in system 100. For example,shipment and order tracking system 111 may request information fromtransportation system 107. As discussed above, transportation system 107may receive information from one or more mobile devices 107A-107C (e.g.,mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or the like) that are associated withone or more of a user (e.g., a delivery worker) or a vehicle (e.g., adelivery truck). In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system111 may also request information from workforce management system (WMS)119 to determine the location of individual products inside of afulfillment center (e.g., fulfillment center 200). Shipment and ordertracking system 111 may request data from one or more of transportationsystem 107 or WMS 119, process it, and present it to a device (e.g.,user devices 102A and 102B) upon request.

Fulfillment optimization (FO) system 113, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores information for customerorders from other systems (e.g., external front end system 103 and/orshipment and order tracking system 111). FO system 113 may also storeinformation describing where particular items are held or stored. Forexample, certain items may be stored only in one fulfillment center,while certain other items may be stored in multiple fulfillment centers.In still other embodiments, certain fulfillment centers may be designedto store only a particular set of items (e.g., fresh produce or frozenproducts). FO system 113 stores this information as well as associatedinformation (e.g., quantity, size, date of receipt, expiration date,etc.).

FO system 113 may also calculate a corresponding PDD (promised deliverydate) for each product. The PDD, in some embodiments, may be based onone or more factors. For example, FO system 113 may calculate a PDD fora product based on a past demand for a product (e.g., how many timesthat product was ordered during a period of time), an expected demandfor a product (e.g., how many customers are forecast to order theproduct during an upcoming period of time), a network-wide past demandindicating how many products were ordered during a period of time, anetwork-wide expected demand indicating how many products are expectedto be ordered during an upcoming period of time, one or more counts ofthe product stored in each fulfillment center 200, which fulfillmentcenter stores each product, expected or current orders for that product,or the like.

In some embodiments, FO system 113 may determine a PDD for each producton a periodic basis (e.g., hourly) and store it in a database forretrieval or sending to other systems (e.g., external front end system103, SAT system 101, shipment and order tracking system 111). In otherembodiments, FO system 113 may receive electronic requests from one ormore systems (e.g., external front end system 103, SAT system 101,shipment and order tracking system 111) and calculate the PDD on demand.

Fulfilment messaging gateway (FMG) 115, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives a request or response inone format or protocol from one or more systems in system 100, such asFO system 113, converts it to another format or protocol, and forward itin the converted format or protocol to other systems, such as WMS 119 or3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A, 121B, or 121C, and vice versa.

Supply chain management (SCM) system 117, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that performs forecasting functions.For example, SCM system 117 may forecast a level of demand for aparticular product based on, for example, based on a past demand forproducts, an expected demand for a product, a network-wide past demand,a network-wide expected demand, a count products stored in eachfulfillment center 200, expected or current orders for each product, orthe like. In response to this forecasted level and the amount of eachproduct across all fulfillment centers, SCM system 117 may generate oneor more purchase orders to purchase and stock a sufficient quantity tosatisfy the forecasted demand for a particular product.

Workforce management system (WMS) 119, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that monitors workflow. For example,WMS 119 may receive event data from individual devices (e.g., devices107A-107C or 119A-119C) indicating discrete events. For example, WMS 119may receive event data indicating the use of one of these devices toscan a package. As discussed below with respect to fulfillment center200 and FIG. 2, during the fulfillment process, a package identifier(e.g., a barcode or RFID tag data) may be scanned or read by machines atparticular stages (e.g., automated or handheld barcode scanners, RFIDreaders, high-speed cameras, devices such as tablet 119A, mobiledevice/PDA 1198, computer 119C, or the like). WMS 119 may store eachevent indicating a scan or a read of a package identifier in acorresponding database (not pictured) along with the package identifier,a time, date, location, user identifier, or other information, and mayprovide this information to other systems (e.g., shipment and ordertracking system 111).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may store information associating one ormore devices (e.g., devices 107A-107C or 119A-119C) with one or moreusers associated with system 100. For example, in some situations, auser (such as a part- or full-time employee) may be associated with amobile device in that the user owns the mobile device (e.g., the mobiledevice is a smartphone). In other situations, a user may be associatedwith a mobile device in that the user is temporarily in custody of themobile device (e.g., the user checked the mobile device out at the startof the day, will use it during the day, and will return it at the end ofthe day).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may maintain a work log for each userassociated with system 100. For example, WMS 119 may store informationassociated with each employee, including any assigned processes (e.g.,unloading trucks, picking items from a pick zone, rebin wall work,packing items), a user identifier, a location (e.g., a floor or zone ina fulfillment center 200), a number of units moved through the system bythe employee (e.g., number of items picked, number of items packed), anidentifier associated with a device (e.g., devices 119A-119C), or thelike. In some embodiments, WMS 119 may receive check-in and check-outinformation from a timekeeping system, such as a timekeeping systemoperated on a device 119A-119C.

3^(rd) party fulfillment (3PL) systems 121A-121C, in some embodiments,represent computer systems associated with third-party providers oflogistics and products. For example, while some products are stored infulfillment center 200 (as discussed below with respect to FIG. 2),other products may be stored off-site, may be produced on demand, or maybe otherwise unavailable for storage in fulfillment center 200. 3PLsystems 121A-121C may be configured to receive orders from FO system 113(e.g., through FMG 115) and may provide products and/or services (e.g.,delivery or installation) to customers directly. In some embodiments,one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be part of system 100, while inother embodiments, one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be outsideof system 100 (e.g., owned or operated by a third-party provider).

Fulfillment Center Auth system (FC Auth) 123, in some embodiments, maybe implemented as a computer system with a variety of functions. Forexample, in some embodiments, FC Auth 123 may act as a single-sign on(SSO) service for one or more other systems in system 100. For example,FC Auth 123 may enable a user to log in via internal front end system105, determine that the user has similar privileges to access resourcesat shipment and order tracking system 111, and enable the user to accessthose privileges without requiring a second log in process. FC Auth 123,in other embodiments, may enable users (e.g., employees) to associatethemselves with a particular task. For example, some employees may nothave an electronic device (such as devices 119A-119C) and may insteadmove from task to task, and zone to zone, within a fulfillment center200, during the course of a day. FC Auth 123 may be configured to enablethose employees to indicate what task they are performing and what zonethey are in at different times of day.

Labor management system (LMS) 125, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores attendance and overtimeinformation for employees (including full-time and part-time employees).For example, LMS 125 may receive information from FC Auth 123, WMA 119,devices 119A-119C, transportation system 107, and/or devices 107A-107C.

The particular configuration depicted in FIG. 1A is an example only. Forexample, while FIG. 1A depicts FC Auth system 123 connected to FO system113, not all embodiments require this particular configuration. Indeed,in some embodiments, the systems in system 100 may be connected to oneanother through one or more public or private networks, including theInternet, an Intranet, a WAN (Wide-Area Network), a MAN(Metropolitan-Area Network), a wireless network compliant with the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n Standards, a leased line, or the like. In someembodiments, one or more of the systems in system 100 may be implementedas one or more virtual servers implemented at a data center, serverfarm, or the like.

FIG. 2 depicts a fulfillment center 200. Fulfillment center 200 is anexample of a physical location that stores items for shipping tocustomers when ordered. Fulfillment center (FC) 200 may be divided intomultiple zones, each of which are depicted in FIG. 2. These “zones,” insome embodiments, may be thought of as virtual divisions betweendifferent stages of a process of receiving items, storing the items,retrieving the items, and shipping the items. So while the “zones” aredepicted in FIG. 2, other divisions of zones are possible, and the zonesin FIG. 2 may be omitted, duplicated, or modified in some embodiments.

Inbound zone 203 represents an area of FC 200 where items are receivedfrom sellers who wish to sell products using system 100 from FIG. 1A.For example, a seller may deliver items 202A and 202B using truck 201.Item 202A may represent a single item large enough to occupy its ownshipping pallet, while item 202B may represent a set of items that arestacked together on the same pallet to save space.

A worker will receive the items in inbound zone 203 and may optionallycheck the items for damage and correctness using a computer system (notpictured). For example, the worker may use a computer system to comparethe quantity of items 202A and 202B to an ordered quantity of items. Ifthe quantity does not match, that worker may refuse one or more of items202A or 202B. If the quantity does match, the worker may move thoseitems (using, e.g., a dolly, a handtruck, a forklift, or manually) tobuffer zone 205. Buffer zone 205 may be a temporary storage area foritems that are not currently needed in the picking zone, for example,because there is a high enough quantity of that item in the picking zoneto satisfy forecasted demand. In some embodiments, forklifts 206 operateto move items around buffer zone 205 and between inbound zone 203 anddrop zone 207. If there is a need for items 202A or 202B in the pickingzone (e.g., because of forecasted demand), a forklift may move items202A or 202B to drop zone 207.

Drop zone 207 may be an area of FC 200 that stores items before they aremoved to picking zone 209. A worker assigned to the picking task (a“picker”) may approach items 202A and 202B in the picking zone, scan abarcode for the picking zone, and scan barcodes associated with items202A and 202B using a mobile device (e.g., device 119B). The picker maythen take the item to picking zone 209 (e.g., by placing it on a cart orcarrying it).

Picking zone 209 may be an area of FC 200 where items 208 are stored onstorage units 210. In some embodiments, storage units 210 may compriseone or more of physical shelving, bookshelves, boxes, totes,refrigerators, freezers, cold stores, or the like. In some embodiments,picking zone 209 may be organized into multiple floors. In someembodiments, workers or machines may move items into picking zone 209 inmultiple ways, including, for example, a forklift, an elevator, aconveyor belt, a cart, a handtruck, a dolly, an automated robot ordevice, or manually. For example, a picker may place items 202A and 202Bon a handtruck or cart in drop zone 207 and walk items 202A and 202B topicking zone 209.

A picker may receive an instruction to place (or “stow”) the items inparticular spots in picking zone 209, such as a particular space on astorage unit 210. For example, a picker may scan item 202A using amobile device (e.g., device 119B). The device may indicate where thepicker should stow item 202A, for example, using a system that indicatean aisle, shelf, and location. The device may then prompt the picker toscan a barcode at that location before stowing item 202A in thatlocation. The device may send (e.g., via a wireless network) data to acomputer system such as WMS 119 in FIG. 1A indicating that item 202A hasbeen stowed at the location by the user using device 1198.

Once a user places an order, a picker may receive an instruction ondevice 1198 to retrieve one or more items 208 from storage unit 210. Thepicker may retrieve item 208, scan a barcode on item 208, and place iton transport mechanism 214. While transport mechanism 214 is representedas a slide, in some embodiments, transport mechanism may be implementedas one or more of a conveyor belt, an elevator, a cart, a forklift, ahandtruck, a dolly, a cart, or the like. Item 208 may then arrive atpacking zone 211.

Packing zone 211 may be an area of FC 200 where items are received frompicking zone 209 and packed into boxes or bags for eventual shipping tocustomers. In packing zone 211, a worker assigned to receiving items (a“rebin worker”) will receive item 208 from picking zone 209 anddetermine what order it corresponds to. For example, the rebin workermay use a device, such as computer 119C, to scan a barcode on item 208.Computer 119C may indicate visually which order item 208 is associatedwith. This may include, for example, a space or “cell” on a wall 216that corresponds to an order. Once the order is complete (e.g., becausethe cell contains all items for the order), the rebin worker mayindicate to a packing worker (or “packer”) that the order is complete.The packer may retrieve the items from the cell and place them in a boxor bag for shipping. The packer may then send the box or bag to a hubzone 213, e.g., via forklift, cart, dolly, handtruck, conveyor belt,manually, or otherwise.

Hub zone 213 may be an area of FC 200 that receives all boxes or bags(“packages”) from packing zone 211. Workers and/or machines in hub zone213 may retrieve package 218 and determine which portion of a deliveryarea each package is intended to go to, and route the package to anappropriate camp zone 215. For example, if the delivery area has twosmaller sub-areas, packages will go to one of two camp zones 215. Insome embodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., usingone of devices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Routingthe package to camp zone 215 may comprise, for example, determining aportion of a geographical area that the package is destined for (e.g.,based on a postal code) and determining a camp zone 215 associated withthe portion of the geographical area.

Camp zone 215, in some embodiments, may comprise one or more buildings,one or more physical spaces, or one or more areas, where packages arereceived from hub zone 213 for sorting into routes and/or sub-routes. Insome embodiments, camp zone 215 is physically separate from FC 200 whilein other embodiments camp zone 215 may form a part of FC 200.

Workers and/or machines in camp zone 215 may determine which routeand/or sub-route a package 220 should be associated with, for example,based on a comparison of the destination to an existing route and/orsub-route, a calculation of workload for each route and/or sub-route,the time of day, a shipping method, the cost to ship the package 220, aPDD associated with the items in package 220, or the like. In someembodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., using one ofdevices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Once package220 is assigned to a particular route and/or sub-route, a worker and/ormachine may move package 220 to be shipped. In exemplary FIG. 2, campzone 215 includes a truck 222, a car 226, and delivery workers 224A and224B. In some embodiments, truck 222 may be driven by delivery worker224A, where delivery worker 224A is a full-time employee that deliverspackages for FC 200 and truck 222 is owned, leased, or operated by thesame company that owns, leases, or operates FC 200. In some embodiments,car 226 may be driven by delivery worker 224B, where delivery worker224B is a “flex” or occasional worker that is delivering on an as-neededbasis (e.g., seasonally). Car 226 may be owned, leased, or operated bydelivery worker 224B.

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic of an exemplary system for managing APIinformation (exemplary system 300), consistent with disclosedembodiments. System 300 may comprise an API management system 310, APIconnection system 318, computer system 303, APIs 105, database 330 andnetwork 320. The APIs of the computer systems may be connected to eachother through network 320. Computer system 303 may comprise one or moreAPIs. APIs of the same computer system may also be connected to eachother through network 320. A user device associated with one computersystem or a user of the user device may also be connected to APIs ofother computer systems through network 320.

Computer system 303 may be a computer system, including one or more ofthe systems in system 100. There may be multiple computer systems 303,each of which may be connected to one another (e.g., directly or throughnetwork 320). Computer system 303 may include one or more computingdevices, such as servers, workstations, desktop computers, mobiledevices, or special-purpose computing devices. Computer system 303 mayalso be part of a subsystem of the variety of systems in system 100. Forexample, computer system 303 may be a subsystem of FO system 113 thatcalculates a corresponding PDD (promised delivery date) for eachproduct.

API 305 may comprise one or more APIs, as computer system 303 may haveone or more APIs or may have subsystems that each has its own APIs. API305 may also be associated with one or more computer systems. The APImay comprise a plurality of functions and layers that are collectivelyreferred to herein as the API. In some embodiments, the API may comprisea plurality of layers, such as a user interface layer, an API functionslayer, a computer system layer, a common language layer, or a databaselater. The layers may comprise a plurality of functions. For example,the API functions layer may comprise groups of functions providingdifferent resource or service to the users of the API, such asapplication programmers, customers, supervisors or the like. Users maywork on functions that are related to and connected to a networkplatform, the network being a private network within the computersystem, operating environment, or the whole organization, or being apublic network related to outside users. The programmer users can createweb applications for computing systems that make full use of the networkresources and other web services, without needing to understand thecomplex technical details of how those network resources actuallyoperate or are made available.

The applications using API 305 may be written in a plurality ofprogramming languages. For example, the applications may be written in.Net Framework, .Net Compact Framework (and related languages, such asVisual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++, Objective-C, HTML, HTML/AJAXcombinations, XML, or HTML with included Java applets. In someembodiments, API 305 may support a limited number of preferred languagesof choice optimized for the functionality of the computer system orsubsystem. In other embodiments, API 305 may comprise a common languagelayer that translates the programming languages into an intermediatelanguage supported by the common language layer and included as part ofa common language output of the API that connects to computer system 303or externally through network 320. In this way, API 305 can effectivelyprovide a wide and diverse variety of applications to accommodatedifferent kinds of computer systems, subsystems, and practical needs, aswell as to enable other components of the exemplary system 300 throughnetwork 320, such as API management system 310, to achieve theirfunctionalities.

API management system 310 may include or may access one or more storagedevices configured to store data and/or software instructions used byone or more processors of API management system 310 to performoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. For example, APImanagement system 310 may include memory configured to store one or moresoftware programs that perform several operations when executed by aprocessor, including operations specific to the disclosed methods. Thedisclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computersconfigured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, API managementsystem 310 may include memory that stores a single program or multipleprograms. Additionally, API management system 310 may execute one ormore programs located remotely from API management system 310. Forexample, API management system 310 may access one or more remoteprograms stored in memory included with a remote component (such asdatabase 330) that, when executed, perform operations consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

Database 330 may be one or more computer systems or implemented computersystems. Database 330 may include server software that generates,manages, and provides operations associated with information of APIs. Insome embodiments, API management system 310 may connect with separateserver(s) or other computing devices associated with database 330 thatgenerates, manages, and provides services associated with information ofAPIs for operations performed by API management system 310.

Database 330 may be configured to store information of API 305,consistent with disclosed embodiments. Database 330 may be configured tostore information of APIs provided when APIs are registered and updated,the information comprising index information, identificationinformation, access information, introduction and rules, development anddebugging notes, and information change for each update. Database 330may create entries for all APIs registered in database 330 respectivelyto have records of selecting or using the APIs. The records of selectingthe APIs may be with respect to the selection of each API of each partof an API. The records of using the APIs may be with respect to theusing of each API of each part of an API. Database 330 may also createentries for all users that have searched for, selected, connected withAPIs through the network 320. Database 330 may keep records of eachuser's activities through the network 320 or associated with APImanagement system 310. The user's activities may include searching,selecting and connecting with APIs and may be recorded with respect totheir activities with each API.

Database 330 may be associated with API management system 310 and madeaccessible to network 320. In some embodiments, database 330 may beprovided as part of API management system 310. API management system 310may have one or more storage memories, which have stored one or moreprograms that, when executed, perform operations consistent with thedisclosed embodiments. API management system 310 may have a databasethat include server software that generates, manages, and providesoperations associated with information of APIs. API management system310 may also create entries in its database part or one or more storagememories to have records of using the APIs and records for all users,consistent with the disclosed embodiments of database 330. For example,when API management system 310 receives an input from a user to searchfor APIs, API management system 310 and/or database 330 may record thesearch in a record of the user searching APIs. When the user selects apart of an API that the user intends to use, API management system 310and/or database 330 may record the selection in a record of the userselecting APIs, a record of selecting the API, and a record of selectingthe part of the API. When the user then connects with the part of theAPI, API management system 310 and/or database 330 may record theactivity in a record of the user using APIs, a record of using the API,and a record of using the part of the API.

Network 320 may be configured to provide communications betweencomponents of FIG. 3. For example, network 320 may be any type ofnetwork (including infrastructure) that provides communications,exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchange of information,such as the Internet, a Local Area Network, or other suitableconnection(s) that enables API management system 310 to send and receiveinformation between the components of API management system 310. In someembodiments, network 320 may be a separate network from the one or morenetworks in FIG. 1A. In other embodiments, network 320 may be integratedwith or connected to the one or more networks in FIG. 1A.

API connection system 318 may be configured to connect the user to thetarget API. In some embodiments, API connection system 318 connects theuser to the target API following step 640 in FIG. 6 (described below),or may start after receiving a request from API management system 310.API connection system 318 may have a memory storing all the APIsregistered in API management system 310 so the user can work on serversof API connection system 318 without communicating with or beingconnected to other devices or systems, such as the computer system ofthe target API, when working on the target API. API connection system318 may have a memory to store the APIs or may store remotely indatabase 330. In some embodiments, API connection system 318 may be partof API management system 310.

Computer system 303 may have one or more APIs 305. Computer system 303having an API means, in some embodiments, that it stores functionalityand code enabling user devices associated with computer system 303 tooperate applications that request data from, process data of, or senddata to computer system 303. Computer system 303 may include a memorystoring source code of API 305. Source code of API 305 may also bestored remotely from computer system 303. API management system 310 maybe configured to register APIs of computer system 303 in API managementsystem 310, as discussed below with respect to in FIG. 4.

Any of the devices and systems depicted in FIG. 3 may include one ormore processors, one or more memories, and one or more input/output(I/O) devices. These components may communicate with each other viabuses or wirelessly. The components may reside in a single device ormultiple devices. In some embodiments, the devices and systems may takethe form of a server, specially-programmed computer, a mainframecomputer, laptop, smartphone, mobile device, or any combination of thesecomponents. In certain embodiments, the devices and systems may beconfigured as a particular apparatus, system, and the like based on thestorage, execution, and/or implementation of the software instructionsthat perform one or more operations consistent with the disclosedembodiments. The devices and systems may be standalone, or it may bepart of a subsystem, which may be part of a larger system.

The processor may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), graphicalprocessing unit (GPU), or similar microprocessor, including one or moreknown processing devices, such as a microprocessor from the Pentium™ orXeon™ family manufactured by Intel™, the Turion™ family manufactured byAMD™, or any of various processors manufactured by Sun Microsystems orApple, Inc., for example. The processor may constitute a single core ormultiple core processor that executes parallel processes simultaneously.For example, the processor may be a single core processor configuredwith virtual processing technologies. In certain embodiments, theprocessor may use logical processors to simultaneously execute andcontrol multiple processes. The processor may implement virtual machinetechnologies, or other known technologies to provide the ability toexecute, control, run, manipulate, store, etc. multiple softwareprocesses, applications, programs, etc. In another embodiment, theprocessor may include a multiple-core processor arrangement (e.g., dual,quad core, etc.) configured to provide parallel processingfunctionalities to allow the devices and systems to execute multipleprocesses simultaneously. The devices and systems may include one ormore of the processors and may further operate with one or more otherprocessors that are remote with respect to the processors. One ofordinary skill in the art would understand that other types of processorarrangements could be implemented that provide for the capabilitiesdisclosed herein. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to any typeof processor(s) configured in the devices and systems.

The memory may include one or more storage devices configured to storeinstructions executable by the processor to perform functions associatedwith the disclosed embodiments. For example, the memory may include acomputer hard disk, random access memory (RAM), removable storage, orremote computer storage. For example, the memory may be configured withone or more software instructions that perform particular functions whenexecuted by the processor. The disclosed embodiments are not limited toseparate programs or computers configured to perform dedicated tasks.Additionally, the processor may execute one or more programs locatedremotely from the devices and systems. For example, computer system 303,API 305, or database 330 may, via API management system 310 (or variantsthereof), access one or more remote programs that, when executed,perform functions related to certain disclosed embodiments. Theprocessor may further execute one or more programs located in database330. In some embodiments, instructions may be stored in an externalstorage device, such as a cloud server located outside of API managementsystem 310, and the processor may execute instructions remotely.

The memory may also store data that reflects any type of information inany format that exemplary system 300 may use to perform operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. The memory may storeinstructions to enable the processor to execute one or moreapplications, such as server applications, network communicationprocesses, and any other type of application or software, such asinteractive user interface of front end system 103. Alternatively, theinstructions, application programs, etc., may be stored in an externalstorage. For example, the instructions of API management system 310 maybe stored in database 330 and are in communication with API managementsystem 310 via network 320 or any other suitable network. The memory maybe a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor (e.g., EEPROM,flash memory, etc.), tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or othertype of storage device or tangible (i.e., non-transitory) computerreadable medium.

The I/O device may include hardware and/or a combination of hardware andsoftware for communicating information to the devices and systems from auser of the devices or devices of the systems. In some embodiments, theuser may be a direct user of the devices or devices of the systems. Insome other embodiments, the user may be another user device or systemsconnected to the devices and systems. The hardware and software may be,for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, audio input device, touchscreen, infrared input interface, or similar device.

FIG. 4 depicts a process 400 for registering an API in a database,consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

In step 402, API management system 310 receives a request to register anAPI in the system. In some embodiments, the request may be from computersystem 303 or a user device associated with computer system 303. In someembodiments, the request may be from API 305 or a user of API 305. Insome other embodiments, the request may be from a user of a user devicethat directly send the request through an interface of the APImanagement system 310. The request may contain information of the APIgiven by the user through an interface when sending the request.

In step 404, API management system 310 receives information of the APIto be registered. The information may comprise index information,identification information, access information, authorization withrespect to permission level, introduction and rules, development anddebugging notes, and a record of previous use of the API, all of whichmay be collectively referred to as data of the API. The accessinformation may indicate that the API is open for all users, APIs, andcomputer systems. The access information may also indicate that the APIalways require a request from the user, API or computer system thatintends to use or connect with it. The access information may alsoindicate that the API may be at least one of: (1) open for some users,APIs, or computer systems; (2) inaccessible for some other users, APIs,or computer systems; or (3) requires a request from some other users,APIs, or computer systems when they intend to use or connect with theAPI. The information may also comprise documentations of the API. Insome embodiments, the information may be included in the request toregister the API. In some other embodiments, the information is receivedthrough interactive process between the interface of API managementsystem 310 and the user, API or computer system.

In step 406, API management system 310 may store the information of theAPI in an API database of exemplary system 300. In some embodiments, APImanagement system 310 may have its own API database and may store theinformation in its own API database.

In step 408, API management system 310 may generate documentationassociated with the API based on the information received. APImanagement system 310 may also incorporate documentation received withthe documentation generated. In some embodiments, as a part ofgenerating the documentation, API management system 310 may prepare aset of rules of generating codes for using the API. The set of rules mayenable the API management system 310 to quickly and automaticallygenerate codes for users connected to the API so that the users may skiplearning every part of the API and do not need to develop a program fromscratch, and may adapt received source code for their desired purposes.

In step 410, API management system 310 may store the documentations ofthe API in the API database of exemplary system 300. In someembodiments, API management system 310 may have its own API database andmay store the documentations in its own API database.

API management system 310 may be configured to update information of anAPI, as discussed below with respect to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 depicts a process 500 for updating API information in a database,consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

In step 502, API management system 310 receives a request to updateinformation of an API in the system. In some embodiments, the requestmay be from computer system 303 or a user device associated withcomputer system 303. In some embodiments, the request may be from API305 or a user of API 305. In some other embodiments, the request may befrom a user of a user device that directly sent the request through aninterface of the API management system 310. The request may containinformation of the API given by the user through an interface whensending the request.

In step 504, API management system 310 receives information of the APIto update with. The information may comprise index information,identification information, access information, authorization withrespect to permission level, introduction and rules, development anddebugging notes, and a record of previous use of the API, all of whichmay be collectively referred to as data of the API. API managementsystem 310 may compare the new information with the previousinformation, detect and record the information change as an entry storedas part of the information of the API. If the request is not from thecomputer system that registered the API, API management system 310 maynotify the computer system about the request to update and require aconfirmation before proceeding to next step. The information may alsocomprise documentations of the API. In some embodiments, the informationmay be included in the request to update the information of the API instep 502. In some other embodiments, the information is received throughinteractive process between the interface of API management system 310and the user, API or computer system.

In step 506, API management system 310 may update the information of theAPI in an API database of exemplary system 300. In some embodiments, APImanagement system 310 may have its own API database and may update theinformation in its own API database.

In step 508, API management system 310 may generate new documentationassociated with the API based on the information received. APImanagement system 310 may also incorporate documentation received withthe documentation generated. In some embodiments, as a part ofgenerating the documentation, API management system 310 may prepare aset of rules of generating codes for using the API. The set of rules mayenable the API management system 310 to quickly and automaticallygenerate source codes for user devices connected to the API so that theusers of the user devices may skip learning every part of the API and donot need to develop a program from scratch, and may directly add theirown source codes or functionalities onto the generated source code.

In step 510, API management system 310 may update documentations of theAPI in the API database of exemplary system 300. In some embodiments,API management system 310 may have its own API database and may updatethe documentations in its own API database.

In step 512, API management system 310 may send a notification tocomputer system 303 about the update. In some embodiments, APImanagement system 310 may send notification only to the computer systemsthat had access to the API. In some embodiments, API management system310 may send notification only to the computer systems that had used theAPI. API management system 310 may send notification through email,message, or other specific communication tools.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary process of providing documentation to a userdevice, consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In step 605, APImanagement system 310 may receive an input from a user device. In someembodiments, the user device may be associated with computer system 303.In some embodiments, the request may be from API 305 or a user of API305. In some other embodiments, the input may be from a user thatdirectly sent the request through an interface of the API managementsystem 310. In some embodiments, the input may omit an identity of acomputer system associated with a desired API. This provides efficiencyin that users (e.g., developers) do not need to know in advance whichcomputer systems or APIs to use.

In some embodiments, the input may omit the identity of a specificfunctionality. For example, API management system 310 may receive aninput (e.g., from a user device associated with FO system 113) includinga request for “Promised Delivery Date (PDD) data” and “shipment data.”(For example, a developer may be developing an application for FO system113 that uses PDD data.) The user need not select a computer system oran API in advance of searching, which provides advantages over prior artsystems for API documentation review and searching.

In some embodiments, the input in step 605 may comprise one or moreconditions. The condition may be a condition that database 330 uses tosort APIs. For example, the condition may be (1) keywords describingfunctionalities of the systems that the APIs are associated with, suchas transportation, delivery, or front end; (2) keywords or categoricalterms describing the hierarchy of APIs, such as whether the API isrelated to a system or a subsystem, whether the API is the only API of acomputer system; (3) a number, a date or a date range referring toversions; or (4) the purpose of the search, such as what kind offunctionality or data the user is looking for from another API. Thecondition may be categorical terms provided by an interface of APImanagement system 310 that corresponds to information of APIs, enablinga user to select information rather than spending time to refinekeywords. In some embodiments, the input may be a request to retrieve alist of APIs stored in database 330 that satisfies certain conditions.Upon receiving such request, API management system 310 may not proceedto step 610 or any later steps but just generate a list of APIs andprovide it to the user. In some other embodiments, the input may be anyrequest that can be fulfilled by executing instructions stored in APImanagement system 310, or remotely stored in database 330.

In step 610, API management system 310 may determine a target API. Atarget API is an API that satisfy the input and may be determined basedon one or more additional steps. In receiving an input with one or moreconditions in step 605, API management system 310 may determine one ormore APIs satisfying the conditions. In some embodiments, API managementsystem 310 may start determining a target API by first excluding APIsassociated with computer systems that are inaccessible to the user ofthe user device based on the user's permission level and/or APIs'authorization with respect to permission levels. For example, a seniordeveloper may have a higher permission level than a junior or contractdeveloper, so with the same input the API management system 310 maydetermine a target API from a larger API pools for a senior developerthan a junior or contract developer. This process can enhance theefficiency and accuracy of API management system 310 in determining thetarget API, as well as minimize unnecessary exposure of API information(thus enhancing data security).

In some embodiments, API management system 310 may determine the targetAPI from the one or more APIs satisfying the conditions based on recordsof using the APIs. For example, when a user of a user device associatedwith FO system 113 is developing an application that uses PromisedDelivery Date (PDD) data, the user could search for searches “shipment”and “data” in API management system 310, and shipment and order trackingsystem 111 and SAT system 101 may both satisfy the conditions. However,there may be more records of using the APIs of SAT system 101 by FOsystem 113 than records of using the APIs of shipment and order trackingsystem 111 by FO system 113, so API management system 310 may determinethat the API in SAT system 111 (having the most associated recordsrelated with FO system 113) should be the target API. The data in SATsystem 101 associated with the target API is very likely more suitableand well-organized for the user in FO system 113 than data associatedwith other APIs or systems. If in a rare case the user wants to connectto an API in another system, the user can still select the API among thelist, consistent with some other embodiments.

In some embodiments, API management system 310 may determine the targetAPI from the one or more APIs satisfying the conditions based on thesearch history, selection history or using history of the user. In someother embodiments, API management system 310 may provide the APIssatisfying the conditions to the user and the user may select the targetAPI. In some embodiments, the input does not comprise one or moreconditions but is a request that aims at a selection of APIs and can befulfilled by executing instructions stored in API management system 310,or remotely stored in database 330, API management system 310 mayprovide further instruction to the user through an interface to specifythe selection of APIs based on the instructions stored. For example, auser associated with FO system 113 may want to obtain data related toPDD but does not know much about other systems. The API managementsystem may contain instructions to automatically search among data ofthe APIs stored in database 330 and obtain a list of APIs that has datarelated to PDD. The API management system may further containinstructions to provide the user with the list of the APIs with anexcerpt of the data or description of the data related to PDD thatenable the user to accurately and efficiently select the target APIwithout requiring knowledge of available APIs before searching.

In step 615, API management system 310 may determine whether the userhas access to the target API. In determining whether a user has accessto an API, API management system 310 may retrieve the data stored in theAPI database associated with the API. More specifically, API managementsystem 310 may consider the access information associated with the API,which may be a part of the data. The access information may indicatethat the API (A) is open for all users, APIs, and computer systems; (B)always requires a request from the user, the API or the computer systemthat intends to use or connect with the API; or (C) is open for someusers, APIs, and computer systems and requires a request from some otherusers, APIs, and computer systems when they intend to use or connectwith the API. The access information may also indicate that the API isnot accessible to one or more users. In some other embodiments,determining whether the user has access to the target API may comprisecommunicating with the target API, or the computer system of the targetAPI to determine associated user permissions. The user permission maycomprise information of whether the user is allowed to access the targetAPI. Communicating to determine user permissions may also compriserequesting a list of users that are assigned access to the target APIand determining whether the user has access by checking if the user ison the list.

In some embodiments, if in step 615 the access information indicatesthat the API is open for all users, APIs, and computer systems, APImanagement system 310 may proceed to step 635 and provide the userdevice with documentation of the target API. In some embodiments, if instep 615 the access information indicates that the API always require arequest from the user device, the API or the computer system thatintends to use or connect with the API, API management system 310 mayproceed to step 620 and require the user of the user device to sendrequest to the target API. If in step 615 the access informationindicates that the API is open for some users, APIs, and computersystems and require a request from some other users, APIs, and computersystems when they intend to use or connect with the API, API managementsystem 310 may respond accordingly, consistent with the embodimentsdisclosed herein. For example, if the user is from a user deviceassociated with FO system 113 and intends to connect with an API of SATsystem 101, and the access information associated with the API indicatesthat the API is open to FO system 113 and any user that is a manager,API management system 310 may connect the user to the API. But if theuser is not a manager and is using a user device of labor managementsystem 125, the API management system 310 may notify the user device tosend a request to the SAT system 101. In some other embodiments, if theaccess information may indicate that the API is not accessible to one ormore users, API management system 310 may proceed to step 645 and denythe user's access accordingly. In some other embodiments, API managementsystem 310 may interact with the user through an interface to sendrequest to the API. If the input relates to instructions executedwithout a need to check access information, such as simply providing alist of APIs satisfying one or more conditions rather than retrievingthe document associate with the APIs, API management system 310 mayproceed to fulfill the request of the input without checking accessinformation.

In step 620, API management system 310 may communicate to the userthrough an interface or email, message, or other specific communicationtools that the API requires the user sending a request to the API beforeretrieving the documentation.

In step 625, if the user sends request to the target API, API managementsystem 310 may receive a notification, through network 320, by thetarget API or the computer system that the target API is associatedwith. API management system 310 may proceed to step 630. If APImanagement system 310 determine, after certain period, that the user hasnot send the request to the target API, API management system 310 mayproceed to step 645 and deny access. In some embodiments, API managementsystem 310 may look at a set of rules stored in database 330 associatedwith the target API to determine the length of the period. In some otherembodiments, API management system 310 may have instructions stored in amemory or remotely in database 330 specifying the length of the period.

In step 630, API management system 310 may receive an approval from thetarget API or the computer system that the target API is associated withthat the target API or the computer system has approved the access tothe user. Upon receiving of the approval, API management system 310 mayproceed to step 635. If API management system 310 has not received anapproval after certain period or received a denial, API managementsystem 310 may proceed to deny access in step 645.

In step 635, API management system 310 may provide the user device withdocumentation of the target API. The documentation may be of a hugevolume that requires a lot of time and effort of the user to locatewhich part may be useful. API management system 310 may enhance theefficiency of this process by automatically executing instructions toprovide the user device with documentation associated with just part ofthe target API, which can save the user a lot of time and effort inlocating which part of the target API or documentation is needed.Therefore, in some embodiments, API management system 310 may providethe user device with documentation of part of the target API. In someembodiments, API management system 310 may provide the user device withone or more parts of the target API for the user to select. APImanagement system 310 may store in a memory or remotely in database 330information associated with the parts of the API to assist user inselecting which parts are needed.

In some embodiments, to further enhance the degree of automation in theprocess of deciding the part of the target API, API management system310 may automatically narrow down the selection of the parts of thetarget API. API management system 310 may look at records of using thetarget API and may include them into consideration together with theinput to determine the parts of the target API. API management system310 may also look at records of using the target API and may includethem into consideration together with the input to determine the partsof the target API. API management system 310 may also look atinformation associated with the API to assist the determination. In someother embodiments, API management system 310 may use a combination ofthe embodiments disclosed herein and may assign a weight coefficient ondifferent embodiments in determining the parts of the target API. APImanagement system 310 may narrow down the selection of parts of thetarget API using the records of using the target API, the records ofusing the target API, or the input, and provide the selection of partsafter the narrow-down to the user device for selection. For example, APImanagement system 310 may receive an input from a user device in step605 to search for an API that performs certain function, determine atarget API for the user of the user device and that the user has accessto the target API. But the target API has 20 parts and each has a lot ofdocumentation, only one or few of the 20 parts are related to thefunction. Instead of having the user manually search for the part of APIthat performs the function, API management system 310 may narrow theselection first. In step 635, API management system 310 may look atrecords of using the target API, and assign a higher weight coefficientto the record of using to get an evaluation of the popularity of all theparts of the target API. API management system 310 then exclude theparts that neither satisfy the conditions of the input nor have a highpopularity. API management system 310 provide the left parts as anarrow-down list of parts to the user device for selection. APImanagement system 310 also retrieves information associated with thenarrow-down parts of the target API such as description, set of rulesand excerpt of JSON codes to assist the user in selecting.

In step 635, after the part of the target API has been decided, APImanagement system 310 may provide user device with documentationassociated with that part of the target API. If it has been determinedthat documentation of the whole target API is needed, API managementsystem 310 may provide the whole documentation.

In some embodiments of step 635, API management system 310 may provideuser device with source code associated with the target API or the partof the target API for the user. The source code may be in a languagegenerally used in APIs, such as .Net Framework, .Net Compact Framework(and related languages, such as Visual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++,Objective-C, HTML, HTML/AJAX combinations, XML, or HTML with includedJava applets. The source code may also be in a programming language,such as JSON or YAML, that is more specific to API documentation anddocumentation interfaces. The source code may be directly applicable tothe target API. For example, if the user is using an API that uses C++language, and the target API is using JAVA, API management system 310may automatically generate and provide user with source code in JAVAthat can be directly applicable for the user to connect with the targetAPI and work with the function or the part that the user intends to.This automation may significantly enhance the efficiency of usersprogramming and using applications cross different APIs and computersystems. Furthermore, when a user work on a target API, the usersometimes needs to access other APIs as well. For example, when a userof an API of internal front end system 105 is working on an applicationthat connects to transportation system 107, the user may also need toaccess APIs of mobile devices 107A-107C separately to generate separateapplication functions optimized for each type of devices. In order toenable the user to efficiently work in such situation, in step 635 inaddition to generating documentation and source code associated with apart of a transportation system 107 API that is the target API, APImanagement system 310 may also generate documentation and supplementalsource code of corresponding APIs of mobile devices 107A-107C.

API management system 310 may generate supplemental source code bydetermining the parts of APIs that are associated with the parts of thetarget APIs that are selected. The determination may comprises one ormore of: (A) determining by the user selecting the parts of APIs in alist provided by API management system 310; (B) API management system310 looking at records of using the parts of the target APIs and lookingfor which APIs and which parts are associated with the selected parts ofthe target APIs when using; (C) API management system 310 looking atinformation of the parts of the target API for instructions ongenerating source codes applicable to the target API; (D) API managementsystem 310 looking at related records to determine the most used partsof APIs, which may or may not be used together with the parts of thetarget API; (E) API management system 310 looking at other records todetermine APIs associated with the target API and looking at informationassociated with the APIs to generate supplemental source code; (F) usinga combination of methods disclosed herein except (A) and other automaticmethods to provide a narrow-down list for the user to choose, or (G)using a combination of methods disclosed herein and other automaticmethods to generate supplemental source code. API management system 310would therefore be able to achieve a high degree of automation inassisting the users. In some embodiments, API management system 310 mayhave instructions stored in a memory or remotely in database 330 thatoptimizes the process of step 635 as a whole. Depending on a variety offactors, API management system 310 may choose some of the embodimentsdisclosed herein as part of step 635. For example, when a user ofinternal front end system 105 wants to work on an API of transportationsystem 107 and develop or test an application that uses data sent fromdevices 107A-107C, the user may want to create separate programs foreach type of mobile devices 107A-107C so that the programs can workbetter with different types of data from the devices. In addition, theuser may want to incorporate certain function related to SAT system 101to improve the application. In such situation, API management system 310may (A) determine from information associated with the target API oftransportation system and records of using the target API that whichparts of APIs of 107A-107C and SAT system 101 the user may need toaccess; (B) determine from access information of the target API and theassociated APIs that the user has access; and (C) has determined basedon instructions stored in a memory that the documentation, source codeand supplemental source code generated do not exceed certain thresholdas being too much for the user and are popular based on records of theAPIs. Then API management system 310 may proceed to provide the userdocumentation, source code and supplemental source code associated withthe target API of system 107 and APIs of devices 107A-107C and SATsystem 101, without further asking the user to look up or select.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that thepresent disclosure can be practiced, without modification, in otherenvironments. The foregoing description has been presented for purposesof illustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally,although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described as beingstored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that theseaspects can also be stored on other types of computer readable media,such as secondary storage devices, for example, hard disks or CD ROM, orother forms of RAM or ROM, USB media, DVD, Blu-ray, or other opticaldrive media.

Computer programs based on the written description and disclosed methodsare within the skill of an experienced developer. Various programs orprogram modules can be created using any of the techniques known to oneskilled in the art or can be designed in connection with existingsoftware. For example, program sections or program modules can bedesigned in or by means of .Net Framework, .Net Compact Framework (andrelated languages, such as Visual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++,Objective-C, HTML, HTML/AJAX combinations, XML, or HTML with includedJava applets.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope of any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated bythose skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Thelimitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on thelanguage employed in the claims and not limited to examples described inthe present specification or during the prosecution of the application.The examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. Furthermore, thesteps of the disclosed methods may be modified in any manner, includingby reordering steps and/or inserting or deleting steps. It is intended,therefore, that the specification and examples be considered asillustrative only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims and their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented system for managingapplication programming interface (API) information, the systemcomprising: at least one processor; an API database storing dataassociated with APIs, each API being associated with at least onecomputer system, each of the computer systems being connectable withother ones of the computing systems through the respective APIs; and atleast one memory containing instructions that, when executed by the atleast one processor, cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: receiving an input from a user device associated with afirst computer system, the input not including an identity of a secondcomputer system; excluding APIs associated with computer systems thatare inaccessible to a user of the user device based on the user'spermission level; determining a target API based on the input, thetarget API being the second computer system's API; determining whether auser of the user device has access to the target API; if it isdetermined that the user has access to the target API, retrievingdocumentation of the target API from the API database; providing theuser device with the retrieved documentation of the target API;generating first source code associated with the target API for theuser; generating supplemental source code associated with at least oneAPI different from the target API, the supplemental source code beingadded to the first source code; and providing the user device with thefirst source code, the at least one API different from the target APIbeing determined by the computer-implemented system based on a record ofusing the at least one API different from the target API with the targetAPI.
 2. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the inputcomprises at least one condition used to sort APIs.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein: the API database storessearch history; and the operations further comprise recording the inputof the user in the search history.
 4. The computer-implemented system ofclaim 3, wherein determining the target API comprises determining whichof the APIs in the API database satisfy the at least one condition ofthe input.
 5. The computer-implemented system of claim 4, whereindetermining which of the APIs satisfy the at least one conditioncomprises at least one of: determining based on the user selecting thetarget API from the APIs satisfying the input; determining based onrecords of using the APIs satisfying the input; or determining based onthe search history.
 6. The computer-implemented system of claim 1,wherein determining whether the user of the user device has access tothe target API includes determining, from data associated with thetarget API stored in the API database, that the target API is open forall users or is open for the user.
 7. The computer-implemented system ofclaim 1, wherein determining whether the user of the user device hasaccess to the target API comprises communicating with the target API todetermine user permission.
 8. The computer-implemented system of claim1, wherein generating the first source code further comprises:determining a part of the target API based on the user input; andgenerating the first source code associated with the part of the targetAPI.
 9. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein determiningthe part of the target API is further based on a selection by the userof the part of the target API.
 10. The computer-implemented system ofclaim 8, wherein determining the part of the target API is further basedon at least one of: a selection of the part of the target API, theselection being added to a record of using the target API, the recordbeing stored in the API database; a record of using the target API bythe user; or records of using the target API by a plurality of users.11. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: providing the user device with a list of APIs in theAPI database based on input.
 12. A computer-implemented method formanaging API data associated with APIs, stored in an API database, eachAPI being associated with at least one computer system, the methodcomprising: receiving an input from a user device associated with afirst computer system, the input not including an identity of a secondcomputer system; excluding APIs associated with computer systems thatare inaccessible to a user of the user device based on the user'spermission level; determining a target API based on the input, thetarget API being the second computer system's API; determining that auser of the user device has access to the target API; if it isdetermined that the user has access to the target API, retrievingdocumentation of the target API from the API database; providing theuser device with the retrieved documentation of the target API;generating first source code associated with the target API for theuser; generating supplemental source code associated with at least oneAPI different from the target API, the supplemental source code beingadded to the first source code; and providing the user device with thefirst source code, the at least one API different from the target APIbeing determined by the computer-implemented system based on a record ofusing the at least one API different from the target API with the targetAPI.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the methodfurther comprises: receiving a request to register an API of one of thecomputer systems in the API database; receiving data associated with theAPI in the request and storing the received data in the API database;and generating documentation associated with the API based on therequest and storing the documentation in the API database.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the method furthercomprises: receiving a request to update data or documentation of one ofthe APIs stored in the API database; updating the data or documentationsof the API based on the request; and sending a notice to user devicesassociated with the computer systems.
 15. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises: if it isdetermined that the user does not have access to the target API,instructing the user to send a request to at least one of the target APIor the second computer system.
 16. A computer-implemented system formanaging application programming interface (API) information, the systemcomprising: at least one processor; an API database storing dataassociated with APIs, each API being associated with at least onecomputer system, each of the computer systems being connectable withother ones of the computing systems through the respective APIs; and atleast one memory containing instructions that, when executed by the atleast one processor, cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: receiving an input from a user device associated with afirst computer system, the input not including an identity of a secondcomputer system; excluding APIs associated with computer systems thatare inaccessible to a user of the user device based on the user'spermission level; determining a target API based on the input, thetarget API being the second computer system's API; determining whether auser of the user device has access to the target API; if it isdetermined that the user has access to the target API, retrievingdocumentation of the target API from the API database; providing theuser device with the retrieved documentation of the target API;receiving a request to register an API of one of the computer systems inthe API database; storing data associated with the API in the APIdatabase; generating documentation associated with the API based on therequest and storing the documentation in the database; receiving arequest to update data or documentation of one of the APIs stored in theAPI database; updating the data or documentation of the API based on therequest; in response to the request, sending a notification to userdevices associated with the computer systems; generating first sourcecode associated with the target API for the user; generatingsupplemental source code associated with at least one API different fromthe target API, the supplemental source code being added to the firstsource code; and providing the user device with the first source code,the at least one API different from the target API being determined bythe computer-implemented system based on a record of using the at leastone API different from the target API with the target API.